


A Fresh Start

by Morgane (smilla840)



Series: New Beginnings [2]
Category: 24
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Pre-Slash, Still ignores everything post season 5
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-14
Updated: 2012-07-14
Packaged: 2017-11-09 23:14:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/459546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smilla840/pseuds/Morgane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony and Jack settle down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Fresh Start

When they finally stopped, Tony felt like they had travelled across the country back and forth a hundred times. Tony still had that odd feeling of being out of space and time, like he was caught between two realities and wasn’t quite sure which was the right one. Maybe he was still back in his cell and dreaming. Maybe Jack had never come. But then, he would reach out briefly and touch the sleeve of Jack’s shirt, anchoring himself. If Jack found it odd, he didn’t say anything. 

Neither of them had had any idea as to where to go, and they ended up in rural Wyoming. It was summer – Tony would say years later that had they arrived in winter, he would never have agreed to stay – and the country was beautiful.

It was as good a place as any.

So Tony – they were, after all, looking for _Jack_ while he was officially dead himself, and it didn’t hurt to be cautious – bought a car and they drove some more, looking for a place to live. They finally found one in the middle of nowhere, their closest neighbours more than 5 miles down the road. It was a little shabby and it needed some work and a good paint, but the plumbing and the roof were sound and it was safe and it was theirs.

It was perfect.

So they settled in and got to work. The living room needed new windows and the kitchen a new sink, the floor in the study needed polishing, and the three bedrooms upstairs had to be washed out. They slept on a mattress on the floor for a month, until most of it was done. Then they bought paint, and then furniture. 

Before they knew it, it had been two months and their new home was as good as new. It was something of a surprise, how well it turned out. After all, they were guys. Decorating wasn’t their forte. 

In a way, the manual labour had been beneficial to them both. It gave Jack focus, helping him get over what had happened in China. As for Tony, he dealt with the fact that this was, indeed, real. He thought about Michelle often, and where there had only been endless loss not so long ago, there was now just a numb absence, and loving memories. It warmed him up and gave him strength.

Both men also had to get used to living with each other. Apart from Jack’s sudden bouts of depression, which grew more and more apart until they mostly disappeared, and Tony’s stubborn wilfulness to make sure he was okay, it was surprisingly easy. They had never needed a lot of words to talk to one another and soon found out that their silent communication had survived all those years apart.

In fact, they hadn’t talked much about anything in the past months. They were both men of few words, and were far too busy during the day, and too tired at night.

 

Soon, they developed something of a routine. Between the two of them, they had enough money not to have to worry about finding a job. However, they did need to find themselves a hobby, or they would soon grow bored out of their mind.

Jack took upon himself to renovate their fireplace. Tony had snickered at the notion - after all, he was from California, and who needed a chimney in LA? - but as the days grew colder, he figured it wasn’t such a bad idea. When Jack wasn’t working on his self-appointed mission, he tinkered around the house, fixing this or that. Tony found the idea of a domestic Jack vaguely disturbing - when he had been living with Michelle, he had been the one to tackle those tasks - but not enough as to fight him on it.

Tony, on the other hand, drove into town twice a month to stock up on supply - food and books and whatever tool Jack had declared he needed. He was a little edgy inside a closed space, but he was working on it. Still, he spent a great deal of time outside, exploring their surroundings - you never knew when it might come handy. 

There was an odd married couple feeling to their lives but Tony didn’t mind. In fact, he quite liked it. He still missed Michelle every day, but Jack’s unwavering presence was comforting. He didn’t know how Jack felt about him being here though. Sometimes he would wonder. It wasn’t like he had given him much of a choice - it had been more along the lines of ‘I’m coming and that’s final’. Most of the times though he knew Jack was glad of the company.

 

One day, as he was walking back towards their home, Tony came to the unsurprising conclusion that, just like he would always love Michelle, a part of him loved Jack. What was something of a surprise, however, was that he also _wanted_ him. Hell, he might as well say things as they were: he was in love with Jack. For how long was anyone’s guess. He suspected it wasn’t new.

And with that realization came the awareness that he would never say anything. Because while Jack cared for him, no doubt, he didn’t love him like that, and it would just make things awkward. In the end, Tony would have to leave, and he couldn’t do that to his friend. Because Jack needed someone and right now, Tony was all he had. 

Lost in his thoughts, Tony didn’t watch where he was going. He lost his footing and went tumbling down the hill, rolling and rolling and rolling, until finally the ground levelled out and he stopped. A little stunned and cursing himself, he shook his head, trying to clear it, and assessed the situation. He didn’t appear to have a concussion and nothing hurt bad enough to be broken. He had scratches all over his hands and face, but otherwise he thought he could go home in one piece.

Unfortunately, that was without counting on his ankle. As he got up, a sharp pain shot up from his foot, almost sending him falling down on his face again. Sitting back with a sigh and a wince, he inspected it quickly. Not broken then, just sprained. Nothing a little rest wouldn’t cure. Too bad he was still more than a mile away from home. Luckily there was dead wood lying around and after a few tries he came up with a decent stick to use as a cane.

It really was all Jack’s fault anyway.

It took him much longer than he had originally planned to go back and when he arrived the night was falling. He could see Jack pacing back and forth in front of the house, and he had been about to call out when Jack spotted him. There was a strange stand-off, during which they seemed to be staring at each other, and then Jack jogged up to him and started yelling.

“Where the fuck have you been? You were supposed to be back hours ago!”

Of course, Tony had never taken well to being yelled at. Hadn’t he needed both his hands to hold himself upright, he probably would have decked him. As it was, he settled for yelling back.

“What the hell, Jack! I fell, can’t you see that? So sorry it –”

Tony was interrupted in mid-sentence when Jack launched himself at him. He tensed reflexively but where he had been expected a blow, he got the opposite. Caught unprepared and his arms pinned against his body, his stick fell down and he latched onto Jack to remain standing.

“Fuck, Jack,” he muttered, returning the embrace awkwardly. “What’s wrong?”

“Sorry.” Jack pulled back, keeping a firm grip on his arm to help him forward and not meeting his eyes. “Just... I was worried.”

“I can see that,” Tony commented but left it at that, concentrating on getting himself inside. 

Jack manhandled him to the couch, ignoring his attempt to make for the stairs and the privacy of his bedroom.

“There is no way you can get yourself upstairs without help,” he said decisively and seemed to wait ‘til he was convinced Tony wouldn’t make a run – or rather, a limp – for it once left to his own devices to retrieve their first-aid kit. When the question had first been raised a couple of months ago, Jack had insisted it be well stocked, given the fact that they were both prone to attract bad luck. Clearly, he had been right.

Jack bustled back in to the room and fussed - which was a rather strange sight. Though Tony had to admit it was kind of nice. It also wasn’t the first time, he realized. Even back when they were both still working at CTU, Jack had made a habit of looking after him – he had just been more subtle about it.

“What happened?” Jack asked, interrupting his thoughts as he started to dab his cuts with an antiseptic. 

Tony shrugged and tried not to flinch at the proximity. It was hard though, because Jack was everywhere. Jack’s hands on his face, Jack’s breath on his cheek, Jack’s body _right there_ , much too close for his comfort.

“I wasn’t looking where I was going. Fell down a hill.”

Jack didn’t comment and moved on to his ankle, which Tony accepted with relief. Except it turned out to be just as bad. Jack’s fingers probing, lingering, _caressing_ and he honestly didn’t know how much more he could take. Because Jack wasn’t even doing it on purpose, he was just helping him out. Why couldn’t he just forget it? He had been doing very well these past years, he could go on doing just the same. But it wasn’t the same, wasn’t it? Michelle wasn’t here anymore.

Tony was so lost in his thoughts that he almost missed the quiet “You’ve got to be more careful,” as Jack finished bounding his ankle.

And it was as if a light bulb had just gone on his head and he wanted to kick himself for being so slow, for being so self-centered with his little problems. Because he finally knew what this was all about, why Jack had freaked out on him and why he was now lingering.

Before he could stop himself or even think about it, he reached over and ran his fingers through Jack’s hair. So soft. But this wasn’t for him. He watched Jack shudder, becoming very still, and murmured:

“I’m fine Jack. I’m fine.”

Jack nodded jerkily and got up, abruptly disrupting the moment.

“Come on,” he said gruffly. “I’ll help you to your room.”

The trip up the stairs exhausted him and Tony gratefully found his bed. Burrowing himself in his pillow and not caring if he was still half-dressed because he was too damn tired to move, he let himself drift, half-aware of the presence in his room.

“You okay?” he mumbled, already half-asleep.

“I’m fine. Get some rest.”

Tony thought maybe Jack said something else but he wasn’t sure because sleep was upon him and he couldn’t resist its lure.

And if dawn found two men in his room, one sprawled over the bed and the other staring at him from the chair in front of the window, well, who else would know?

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted at my livejournal.


End file.
